A Night To Remember
by royishere
Summary: Fezziwig's party takes a slightly more festive tone he hires a band, roasts a cow, and invites half of London. Unfortunately for Fezziwig's third apprentice, his employer knows all the poor boy's thoughts about his eldest daughter...
1. Secrets Spoken

**((A/N: An attempt to turn my hand to Dickens. This has pushed back my other fic in the works (Which, at the risk of advertising my own work, any Zelda fans in the audience should check out) but for me, this is worth it.**

**See, this may not be my best work. It may be downright terrible. But I really don't care. This is a piece that I wrote for myself, that I feel like sharing. After some of this story actually happened to me, I figured I'd give Ol' Fezziwig's party the spot in literature it deserves. Please note that while I insert myself into the story, this is no crossover. Rather, this is my own memory of a happier time that I wish I could have lived, and a mix of both true and fictional events. Prudence is based off a real girl that I met at an event much like the one I describe therein.))**

He was big. That was the first thing that came to mind when somebody mentioned Fezziwig. And I don't mean fat when I say that, he was big in every way. He had a large belly, true, but he was also amazingly tall. His large hands were always working, he had a large and carrying voice, his coffers were large enough to provide for us apprentices-Me, Dick, and Ebenezer. But the largest thing of all was his spirit. He had a hearty laugh that came bubbling up from him and he used it often. He was the kindest soul you could imagine, and yet he never spoiled us. He knew what was best for us, he did. Apparently, what was best for us right now was a proper Christmas party.

"Yo ho, there! Ebenezer! Jeremy! Dick!"

That was Fezziwig, the old fellow. He was more than twice my age, he was, but he was still a child at heart. He was looking forward to this party as much as we were. My partners in crime, Ebenezer and Dick, were already at his side when I approached, and Fezziwig beamed at me.

"Yo ho, my boys!" he said heartily, "No more work tonight! Christmas Eve, Dick! Christmas, Ebenezer! A time of gaiety, Jeremy! Let's have the shutters up," said he, clapping his hands sharply, "Before you can say Jack Robinson!"

I was off in a trice, my hands scrambling at the shutters. I could sense Dick and Ebenezer working beside me, just as hard as I was. Before half a minute was up, we had done it. We ran back to Fezziwig, beaming, and he beamed back.

"Hilli-ho!" he bellowed, striding around his desk, "Clear away, my lads, and let's have lots of room here! Hilli-ho, Dick! Yo ho, Jeremy! Chirrup, Ebenezer!"

Dick and Ebenezer, firmest of friends, were gone before he had finished. But me, I had something to say. So I kind of made myself small and faded into the background. It's a trick I have, everyone's eyes kind of slide off of you. I could hear bangs from the other room-Apparently, Dick had knocked over a ladder.

Fezziwig finally noticed me, just standing there. "Well, lad, what is it? Speak!"

My palm opened. In it was a small bag. "Mr. Fezziwig, sir, I-I'd like you to have this."

Fezziwig weighed the package and poured the coins out onto his hand. "You're the apprentice here, Jeremy," he said. "I'm supposed to be giving you gold, not the other way around! What's this for? Where did you get it?"

Where I'd gotten it was from the pocket of an old, sour businessman in town, the kind Dick, Eb, and I had sworn to never become when we grew old. So I avoided that question tactfully.

"It's Christmas, Sir!" I said, smiling in a fair imitation of his own grin. "I happen to know you've hired a fiddler for tonight!"

Mr. Fezziwig pinched my nose affectionately. "Why you little... That was supposed to be a surprise! Been listening at doors, have you?"

I didn't confirm or deny the charges, instead saying "A fiddler is great and all, but it's Christmas! Let's have something real, something everyone will remember!"

Fezziwig's eyes widened as I painted the picture of my ideal party. "With this coin, we can hire out Bangers and Mash! You know, the musical company that's staying at the inn! Invite the fiddler too, the more music, the better! Hang some mistletoe up there in the middle, you can shove unsuspecting partners under it!" I was gesturing with wide, sweeping motions now. "Refreshments! We can get some port, maybe get a steer to roast in that fireplace yonder! Then, the invitations! This won't be some apprentice's party, let's invite half the town! Space isn't an issue, we'll spill out into the street! People will be talking about it for miles around and for years to come! 'Remember old Fezziwig's party?' one'll say, and the other one will say 'Oh, yes, that was the best Christmas ever.'"

My unspoken wish for the party somehow managed to make itself clear as Fezziwig chewed thoughtfully on his lip. I think that was what convinced him in the end, for it was with a knowing twinkle in his eye that he said "Well then! That's a fine idea! Run down to the inn at once and fetch Bangers and Mash! There's more work to be done than I thought... I'll telegram the baker's, bring that steer you mentioned." He counted the coins I'd given him and smiled. "You're a good man, Jeremy."

I bounced with joy at the praise as I turned to rush out the door. "I learned it all from you, Sir," I said as I began to turn the knob.

"Wait, Jeremy, before you go...," said Fezziwig, with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Yes sir?" I asked, eager to find the inn and alert the company of musicians.

"When you mentioned mistletoe, you did that with one specific person in mind, didn't you?" he said, laughing suddenly.

My cheeks flushed. I muttered something unintelligible, then ran for the inn, letting his laugh cover my escape. With any luck, he wouldn't remember asking me a question by the time I got back.

See, I'd never really known for sure if old man Fezziwig had known about my infatuation with his eldest daughter, Prudence. But now, I think, there was no question of it.


	2. The Party Begins

**((A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for the snail's pace at which this is being written... Sorry! Second, I'd like to thank the people who went out of their way to review. They mean a lot to me, and, if you're reading this story and like it, please, please just write a review! It can even be just 3 words or less, but people letting me know they enjoy my work is my bread and butter. Also, there is a passage or two taken directly from the book, so I may want to label that "artistic license" now rather than face accusations of laziness later. So, thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter!))**

When I got back, I mostly avoided Fezziwig when he wasn't with the other boys. The memory of his last words to me was embarrassing enough, and I didn't want any verbal fuel to be added to the proverbial fire.

The work was easy enough, but then it always was. Preparing a party was easy when the three of us were set on it. We swirled around the place like tornados, cleaning, rearranging, adding finishing touches, and all that. In fact, I think we may have spent more time looking at it to see if it was perfect than actually working on it. And perfect it was. Dick declared it the greatest moment of his life.

Bangers and Mash arrived as we got to work on the food. Three kegs of ale was deemed not enough, so I was sent to buy a few more. By the time I got back, the boys had tied a red ribbon across the door, so I had to roll the barrels in instead of simply carrying them. I could only carry one at a time, so it took three trips.

"What's the ribbon for?" I asked Eb, who was slicing up roast beef with the air of an artist.

"Oh, that was Constance's idea," said Eb, shrugging. Constance was Fezziwig's second daughter. "Once the party's started, Fezziwig's going to cut it with the shears, so people can get in without bending over backwards or ducking."

"Yeah, well, you could have waited until I'd gotten back to put it up," I said, but I grinned to show I was joking.

"I am _so_ sorry. Can you ever forgive me for inconveniencing you mildly?"

"If I can forgive you for running over my foot with the wagon, I suppose this is nothing."

Eb winced. "Hey, that was five years ago!" he said, in indignation. "Besides, I think I got my dues."

We were interrupted by a cry of pain from the door. We looked over to see Dick brandishing a poker and glaring out the door, which was open.

"And stay out until we're ready!" he yelled. Eb and I applauded. Dick bowed.

"Somebody tried to get in before the party started," he said, shrugging.

Eb burst out laughing, but I was already gone, to hang the mistletoe.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was time.

Fezziwig came in from the kitchen with a large pair of shears. Smiling, he simply cut the ribbon as slowly as he could.

As the final strand slowly twisted free, the band broke into Greensleeves. There was quite a mob outside the door by now, and all of them poured in, happy to be out of the cold and snow. From the side door, which was reserved for special guests, came Mrs. Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile. In came the three Miss Fezziwigs, beaming and lovable. In came the six young followers, whose hearts they broke. When looking at them, I felt a twinge of envy. Talking to girls isn't my strong suit. In came all the staff, and all our friends and family. In came several important people who we'd invited as a business maneuver, but they were the opposite of stuffy and boring now, it was as though they were different people. Thus, the great dance began.

Belle and Eb immediately began dancing, and the blissful looks on their faces would have wrung poetry from a stone. Dick slipped away, no doubt to break yet another woman's heart. Chastity, the youngest of the three Miss Fezziwigs, was too slow in vanishing into the crowd and reluctantly began dancing with one of her admirers, who looked starstruck at his luck. But how could anyone remain reluctant for long? Dance was a mystical experience, and something to be enjoyed no matter whose partner it was. Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig were the embodiment of the enjoyment of dance, seeming everywhere at once, dancing twice as fast as the music suggested, and the cause of much good-hearted laughter.

If, though, you possessed no romantic soul, there was an object of greater interest- the refreshment tables. Already, they gathered a crowd. I steered away from them, remaining on the dance floor, hoping to stare at Prudence's blinding beauty from almost halfway across the room. The band suddenly stopped and the three daughters suddenly were all together, standing at the front of the floor, towards those watching.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" All of them yelled in unison, as was tradition, "Please take partners for the Jolly Dog Polka!"

Smiling radiantly, they twirled into the gathering crowd, leaving their admirers with empty air. My mood somewhat returned, I listened to the band, which had struck up "_Star of the County Down_".

"Pardon me, sir, would you like to dance?"

I turned to see a girl who I didn't recognize. Her black hair was a bit longer than shoulder-length and her eyes, like her dress, were a lovely shade of green.

"I apologize, but I must decline. I do not find myself in a dancing mood at this minute," I said, trying to be frank. She was a pretty girl, but I had no interest in dancing if my partner wasn't Prudence.

She laughed. "Oh, come now," she said. "You are on the dance floor! How can you have no appetite for a dance or two?"

"When a man gorges himself, he may find himself unable to consume a rare delicacy that he might espy in a few hour's time," said a voice behind me. "I, however, I'm a glutton, and my appetite for dancing is insatiable."

In the span of a few seconds, the girl was in Dick's arms and they were dancing as smoothly as if they had been together from the start of the song. They turned in a half-circle and Dick's eyes met mine. He winked and jerked his head, obviously telling me to go somewhere quickly.

I cursed inwardly. How many people knew about Prudence anyway? The band had begun "_The Congress of Vienna_", a universal favorite.

Chastity had been caught again, and her expression, as her name suggested, was of polite disinterest. Constance was smiling and talking to one of the businessmen, who was laughing and looking most undignified. The third sister, though, was nowhere to be found.

I began weaving my way through waltzing couples, trying to get to the side of the dance floor. Dick had nobly sacrificed himself to aid me, and I would be helpless if another girl tried to deter me. On a hunch, I glanced over at Dick. His feet were moving almost as fast as old man Fezziwig's himself and as I watched, he spun the girl twice, then switched to open position. Perhaps "sacrificed" was the wrong word.

I saw an opening in the mass of people. I began to walk briskly towards it when somebody hit me from behind, pitching me forward and almost forcing me to hit an old couple wearing a pair of big smiles. I would have, except that the person who had run into me grabbed and steadied me.

"Don't talk," whispered the person, and I could tell from her voice that she was female. "Just dance. And try to look like you're enjoying it, _please_."

I turned, set my hands in traditional victorian waltz position, and started the dance without thinking. Then I looked at her and almost tripped over my own feet.

Prudence Fezziwig was dancing with me, a carefree smile on her lovely lips, and I had no idea what was going on.


	3. Prudence and I

**((A/N: Wow. This story just keeps growing. This was originally going to be 2 chapters, but I had to stretch it out into three parts. Now, posting chapter three, I've tucked a good amount of it in the upcoming chapter 4. Who knows? I may even continue the story with a chapter 5 if I get enough reviews... hint, hint.**

**Once again, I'm not too sure about the quality of this chapter. I think parts of it may be difficult to understand, because I wrote some of it really late at night and it made sense in my mind, but it may not in anyone else's. So I apologize in advance.**

**WARNING: Any Dickens enthusiasts will see something VERY wrong. I know that canonically, the party and the *cough* argument don't happen at the same time, but it sets the stage nicely, happened at the event this fic is based off of, and it's my world so what I say goes.**

**So, anyway, enjoy the chapter.))**

My surprise was topped only by my delight. I smiled shyly, hoping my discomfort wouldn't be too visible, and began the waltz. Yet Prudence gave no explanation for her strange behavior.

It was explained, a half-minute later, by the presence of a new person. Tall, dark, handsome, and vaguely annoyed, he pushed his way through the crowd towards us.

"Ah! Prudence, there you are! My lady, would you- Oh."

"I am sorry, Thomas," replied Prudence coolly, "But I am currently dancing with Jeremy. Perhaps you should be a bit faster in the asking next time?"

Thomas was one of Prudence's admirers, who she hated. Every social engagement that Fezziwig set up, he pursued her for a dance until the night was over. It was a twist of bitter irony that Prudence, who had spent the whole evening avoiding him, was now suggesting that he ask for a dance more quickly. His brow darkened as if he knew exactly what had just transpired. I'll give him credit though, he recovered well.

"Very well. I suppose I may have the next one then?" he said, then turned to address me. "Do you mind?"

Prudence had a cornered expression on her face. She bit her lip and looked at me imploringly. A slow smile spread across Thomas's face, he knew he had won. We were being buffeted by dancing bodies and I neatly steered Prudence away from a collision with an aristocratic couple, then spun her, smiling with joy as our eyes met. When they did, I saw myself, my future reflected in her eyes. I pulled her close and she stiffened at the close contact, then relaxed as she remembered that Thomas was watching her.

I turned at last to face Thomas, possessed with sudden lunacy. He was bigger than me, older too. But holding Prudence, I felt safe and beyond his power.

"Why, yes, I do mind," I said bravely, and Prudence relaxed still further. This made me even more confidant. "You see, I have already asked for, and booked, the next dance with Miss Prudence."

Prudence, smiling, chimed in. "In fact, he also has scheduled the next one. The one after that as well."

Thomas glared bodkins at me, but his voice was slick as if he had swallowed grease when he next spoke. "And you will be dancing the whole night? When shall I check back?"

"If I get bored of him before the party ends, then I will consider you first in line," said Prudence, trying to hold back a giggle. I felt it ripple through her body and nestle in her throat.

Thomas nodded wordlessly and angrily, then walked swiftly into the crowd of dancers. But as soon as I rotated Prudence around, he turned his head and glared one last time, cutting his thumb across his throat. I shuddered, suddenly dreading the morrow.

"You were _wonderful, _Jeremy!" said Prudence as soon as he was out of eyeshot.

"I only wish I had managed to get rid of him without tying you into dancing with me the rest of the night," I said. "If I put you on the spot, I apologize."

Her red dress flared as she twirled in place, then continued in our circle. "No, that was the greatest part!" she protested. "I would much rather dance with you than with Thomas! I won't get any breaks from dancing now, but it was worth it to see him stutter!"

The giggle that she had smothered was finally let out and it escalated into a full-out laugh. "Oh, I will never be able to look him in the face again!"

"And I'm jealous," I said, displaying my talent for wit. Well, talent is a misnomer. I deliver most of my jokes too fast, and nobody understands the wordplay. By the time I've explained it, it really isn't funny anymore. I just can't stop making them. So I knew I'd made a mistake as soon as the words had left my mouth.

But I hadn't.

If anything, she laughed even harder. I looked at her in shock. It was really the only time I could remember one of my "intellectual" jokes being understood.

"That was hilarious," she said, once she had regained her composure.

I was about to respond, but at that moment, the band stopped playing in a clamor of confused chords. A shouting match, which had previously been covered from our ears by the band, could be heard from near the center of the room and the band could no longer be louder than they. All across the floor, couples were breaking apart to watch the argument.

"What's going on?" asked Prudence.

"No idea," I muttered back, and together we slunk through the mass of bodies towards the source of the disturbance. As I did, I felt... something warm, like a heavenly presence. It was as if a great spirit had entered the room and made things lighter somehow.

"...Would have tried to do, I have no just cause...," said one of the voices. It was female.

We pushed our way closer just in time to hear another voice call out. We were close enough now that I could recognize his voice. It was Eb, and he sounded bewildered.

"What idol has displaced you?" he asked, beseeching an answer.

There, facing Scrooge, stood Belle, his lover, with a sad and tormented expression on her face. Scrooge had been with her for many months, and gossip had it that he was going to ask for her hand in marriage very soon.

"That's Ebenezer, isn't it?" asked Prudence. "And I _know_ that's Belle. What, I wonder, is going on?"

"I have no idea," I said. "Perhaps Eb has had a bit too much to drink, it's happened before."

"What then?" Eb was saying as I finished. "Even if I have grown so much wiser, what then? I am not changed towards you."

I winced. "Definitely drunk. The day Eb gains wisdom, man will fly in the sky like birds."

"...Until, in good season, we could improve our worldly fortune...," Belle was talking again.

I spotted Dick on the other side of the crowd, the girl at his side. I locked eyes with him. He grinned at me when he saw Prudence with me and was about to give me a thumbs-up, but I cut him off with a quick slashing movement. He shrugged, then communicated what he was thinking using his hands. If it were spoken in English, the conversation would have gone something like this.

_"What's going on?" _(That would be Dick, he shrugged at me with a question frozen on his features while pointing at Eb).

_"I know just as much as you."_ (And I would be saying that, what I actually did was shrug back).

_"What are they arguing about? Eb said he was going to propose soon."_ (Evidenced by another shrug, a point at the both of them, and the slipping of a thumb-and-pointer-finger-circle onto the ring finger).

_"Maybe he did."_ (Here I gave him another shrug, and a nod.)

_"That's not funny! They should be together!"_ (He began to fake laugh, cut out of it, then mimed holding someone close).

Sometimes it's scary what can be said without words.

It got worse. First Belle released Eb from any obligations, then went so far as to call their continued relationship nothing more than a matter of pride, and that Eb would never have sought her out if he had been back then the way he was now. He had gotten too focused on money for her tastes, and she had had enough. Not only that, though, but she knew that he could never be happy with her now that he had changed, even if he didn't realize it yet.

"...May you be happy in the life you have chosen!" she gasped out at last, and stormed away. Eb looked devastated, and froze.

"Don't just stand there, you fool!" I muttered. "Go after her!"

But Eb just turned, face unreadable, and strode away.

Everyone just kind of sat there looking stupid for a while. They were in shock, I expect, but Bangers and Mash pulled through by starting up _Sir Roger De Coverley_, which cut through the awkward silence like a flaming knife through taut tissue paper, to break away from a common cliche. After a few minutes of dancing, Prudence finally broke our own little silence.

"The poor, poor man," she whispered. "It must be awful."

I was still stunned by the speed at which two lovers had been torn asunder, and could do nothing but murmur assent.

"Still, I cannot blame her too much," she said sadly. "It is true. He has changed a lot. I would not want to spend the rest of my life with a man like him, the way he is now. People change...."

"How do you know then?" I asked.

"What?"

"How do you know you wouldn't mind living with a businessman? You said it just two seconds ago, people change. Who's to say you won't?"

As soon as I said that, I realized exactly who it was that apprenticed with Eb, who may therefore be like him. Prudence realized it too, and she smiled.

"Why, Jeremy, are you _implying_ something?"

"Why, not at all- Well, I mean, not that I'd- I mean...," I stuttered. I could feel my face burning, and I hoped she didn't see it.

"Oh, I was only teasing," she said regretfully as she saw my confusion. "Don't worry about your answer."

"I wish girls would understand," I said, opting for honesty. "Boys have never and will never know how to answer that kind of question."

"Oh, I know," she said mischievously, "That's why we ask them."

And to this, I could offer no answer.


	4. A Passionate Finale

**((A/N: Well, this is it! Sorry for the delay, all 2 of you who are still following this. I feel like I rather overdid things at the end, but.... Okay, I have no excuse. Maybe I was just delirious with happiness because I'm seeing her again soon! And I still am, that's why I didn't rewrite it. Anyhow, enjoy the final chapter!))**

_"The sun is up/ The sky is blue/ It's beautiful/ And so are you/ Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?"_

_-The Beatles_

Thus the night was spent in a flurry of goodwill and Christmas cheer. Bodies whirled, instruments played, and laughter was heard. Couples went on and off the dance floor, but Prudence and I were determined to stay to the end. Somewhere off to the side, I could feel Thomas's burning gaze, but it was with a detached part of my brain. I no longer cared what he would do to me.

I was next to Prudence and that was all that mattered.

The clock struck eleven. I saw Eb, inconsolable, leaning against the table. I might have gone to him, miserable as he was, and helped him through his grief, but if I left Prudence's side, I felt she might vanish. I saw Dick, smiling, leading the green-eyed girl upstairs. I grinned at his back and spun Prudence, flashing him a thumbs up while my hand was unoccupied. He didn't see me, but I'm sure he felt the gesture of friendship. I saw old Mr. Fezziwig, dancing up a storm. He was one of several couples who had been on the dance floor as long as we had.

Half past eleven. How quickly time sped by. Thirty minutes remained before the party officially ended. Though people would invariably stay, the Fezziwig daughters would not be among them. I concentrated, losing myself in the dance. Around and around we whirled, in a spiral shape. Dancers streamed off the floor at a constant rate, leaving us more and more free. As we spiraled near the center of the circle, we grew closer and closer to the Fezziwig couple. Would we meet? It seemed like fate, and I knew this. When we met, that would be the end of the dance.

As if the band knew what was going on, they began to play what would be their last song- _Magic Works._

_"So dance... your final dance,"_

I would dance. I would show the world how I danced. I would exist only in this moment. Now this moment. Now this one...

_"This is... your final chance."_

It wasn't my last chance. I would see Prudence again. But I realized, that I would never come as close to her as I had this night. I had to make my move. _Had_ to.

_"To hold... the one you love._

_You know you've waited, long enough."_

I held her close. This was the end. I had waited all my life for this. How could I be so weak? Saying it was so easy.

_"And believe.... that magic works,_

_Don't be afraid, of being hurt._

_And don't let... this magic die,_

_The answer's there, oh, just look in her eyes."_

I glanced at Prudence's eyes, just for a second. To my surprise, she was staring right into them. The contact excited and frightened me at the same time. It was the perfect time for a kiss. But I couldn't do it. I was, as the song said, afraid of being hurt.

_"And make.... your final move._

_Don't be scared, she wants you to._

_It's hard, you must be brave._

_Don't let this moment slip away."_

We were orbiting the edge of the center as the chorus repeated. My eyes flicked upwards and I saw what I'd known was there all along; the mistletoe. All it would take was one push...

Mr. Fezziwig, gentleman that he was, was waiting. We had to bridge the gap together. We had to step into the center at the same time, or not at all.

_"No, no, no, this magic can't die! _

_No, no, no... this magic can't die...,_

_So dance... your final dance._

_This is... your final... chance."_

That was it. The end. Game over. I dipped Prudence with everything I had. It was the best dip I had ever done and it left her breathless. That didn't stop me from feeling like I had lost something I would never regain.

"I... that was really great...," I began, trying to sound happy. Apparently, I failed miserably.

"What's this? Somebody at _my_ party less than content? Nay!" boomed a jolly voice behind us.

I turned around to see Mr. Fezziwig, who had somehow gotten behind me in the short time after the dance was over. He started speaking again before I was fully turned around.

"Come now, you two! Under the mistletoe!" he said mischievously, then shoved with his two great hands. I stumbled into Prudence, knocking both of us under the mistletoe.

At least I caught her before she fell.

She looked directly into my eyes. The slightest hint of a smile played about her face. Neither of us made a move. I realized, in that sort of frozen state, that I was still supporting her weight.

"It's... It's just mistletoe," I said lamely. That is what I consider to be the dumbest thing I have ever said.

"Yes," she said, slowly rocking forwards so she could stand up by herself, "It doesn't mean anything, right?"

Suddenly, she was much closer to me (Or was I much closer to her?). Our arms were wrapped around each other and I was kissing her with all the passion I could muster, and oh, God, she was kissing back. Our lips seemed just suited for each other, together in a union that seemed unbreakable.

Unfortunately, the unbreakable kiss was, well, broken by a mutual lack of oxygen. We drew apart and, as soon as we had regained our breath, started on round 2. I could feel Fezziwig watching, but I didn't know what he was feeling. He _had_ to approve, didn't he?

"_Shut up_," the wiser part of my brain said, and dragged my other half back into the realization that I was _kissing Prudence Fezziwig_. It was the sweetest kiss that ever existed and I wished it could go on forever.

Once again, our kiss was interrupted but this time it was by the tolling of the clock. Midnight. Mr. Fezziwig, perhaps satisfied with his work for tonight, left the dance floor to say his farewells and herd some of the more unpleasant guests out.

"We did it," I said, looking at her. "We're the last ones on the dance floor. We even outlasted your father."

"Well, to be fair, we haven't exactly been dancing the past few minutes," she said, smiling.

"I like this a lot more than dancing," I said, kissing her again.

But however long time became when we kissed, it wasn't enough. Prudence was needed at the door to thank guests with Chastity and Constance, and I, though apprenticed, did not live at the shop.

"We should see each other tomorrow," Prudence was saying as she walked me down the path to the door.

"We should," I said. We reached the door and I turned to face her. "Listen, Prudence, I had a lovely time tonight."

She looked amused. "Yes, I know," she said mischievously, "Now cut to the chase and give me the goodbye kiss like I can see you're dying to do."

"I'm so predictable," I whispered, and leaned in for the last time that evening. Our lips met.

I was blocking the doorway, with about a third of the partygoers yet to leave. Some of the more uptight ones were saying something in an irritable tone, while the laid-back ones where giggling at the uptight ones. Or us. Probably us. Some of the drunk ones were cheering. I didn't care who was doing what.

Except that I was kissing the girl of my dreams and I wasn't moving any time soon.


End file.
